Tennessee football: 10 safest starting spots in 2021 fall camp
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Chase McGrath. 9. player. Place kicker. Senior. 839
6’0″ 195 pounds
Brent Cimaglia’s transfer to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets would have theoretically opened up a position battle here. Toby Wilson was the guy to fill in for him last year, so he has playing experience, and J.T. Carver is a highly touted true freshman who joined the program. Marshall Ware is a returning member of the roster as well, and Daniel Bethel is another newcomer.
However, Josh Heupel’s power play in the portal to lure graduate transfer Chase McGrath to Rocky Top from the USC Trojans eliminated any competition at the position for at least a year. Make no mistake about it, this job is McGrath’s to lose, and it’s unlikely he loses it.
In 2019, McGrath had an All Pac-12 Honorable Mention season, as he hit 14-of-17 field goals, including every extra point and every attempt under 30 yards. He hit all but one attempt under 40 yards and was 4-of-6 from beyond 40 while hitting his only attempt from 50 yards.
That’s exactly what you want in a kicker. However, he lost his starting job to Parker Lewis last year in a shocker. The only reason we don’t have him higher on this list is that loss and the fact that he’s Tennessee football’s only newcomer on here. However, even with those two factors, he’s a pretty safe bet to hang onto this position.